1. Field
The present invention relates to windshield wipers and other wiper assemblies. More particularly, the invention relates to an inductively heated wiper assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Windshield wiper assemblies often become blocked by ice and snow which accumulates on them and on their windshields. Cold temperatures also often cause wiper fluid lines to freeze and become blocked and wiper blades to become stiff and unpliable. All of these conditions greatly reduce the effectiveness of the wiper assemblies and may lead to unsafe vehicle operation.
Many attempts have been made to heat windshield wiper assemblies and/or their windshields to avoid the above problems, but such attempts have been only partially effective. For example, one prior art approach has been to direct heated air from a vehicle's engine compartment or other source of heat to the vehicle's windshield or wiper assembly. Unfortunately, this approach requires the vehicle's engine to be operated long enough to generate excess heat so as to adequately heat the air before it is directed to the windshield and wiper assembly. This approach is therefore ineffective when a vehicle is first started, requires wasteful engine idling, and requires the use of noisy fans to direct the heated air at the windshield and/or wiper assembly. Moreover, this approach has no means for automatically controlling the delivery of heated air based on the actual temperature of the wiper assembly, thus often resulting in underheating or overheating of the wiper assembly.
Another prior art approach has been to radiantly heat the wiper assemblies with electrically operated resistive heating elements powered by a vehicle's battery or other power source such as a solar cell. Unfortunately, this approach requires unsightly exposed wiring which can be easily damaged.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved means for heating windshield wiper assemblies and other wiper assemblies.